Torpedo craft



July 27, 1965 w MGLEAN 3,193,820

TORP EDO CRAFT Filed Feb. 19, 1962 AMPLIFIER &

DETECTOR W/l/iam B. McLean INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,196,820 TORPEDO CRAFT Wiiiiam B. McLean, China Lake, Califi, assignor of fifty percent to Waiter G. Finch, Baltimore, Md. Filed Feb. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 174,194 Claims. ((11. 114-20) This invention relates generally to water vehicles, and more particularly it pertains to a passive homing, jetpropelled torpedo craft.

It is an object of this invention to provide a torpedo craft which bodily screws its way through the water toward a source of sound.

It is another object of this invention to provide a broad base for an array of hydrophones in order to generate a rotating narrow fan shaped acoustic beam which will perform a scanning operation through the rotation of the torpedo craft.

Another object of this invention is to provide a deferred action, sea water battery powered attack weapon of long range and high efficiency.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a water craft of great simplicity which is self operative on immersion in sea Water.

These and other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent and understood from the following detailed specification and single sheet of accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a torpedo craft incorporating features of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the torpedo craft illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the torpedo craft illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a somewhat schematic depiction of the elements of the novel torpedo craft.

In the drawings, FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 depict three views of a torpedo craft 10 incorporating features of this invention. The torpedo craft 10 consists of a hollow torpedo body 12 having a truncated nose 16 and a tail cone 18.

A pair of extended thick hollow wings 14 are afiixed to the opposite sides of the body 12, and wings 14 are positioned oppositely at an approximate 45 degree pitch to the axis of the body 12. If design conditions necessitate, one wing 14 may be mounted in the body 12.

The leading edge of each wing 14 is provided with an array of hydrophones 36.

The body 12 is rotatably attached to the tail cone 18, with the latter being provided with control surfaces 20.

Pre-positioning of the control surfaces 20 relative to the wings 14 and hydrophones 36 can be made to result in a direction of turn toward the direction from which a signal is received for guiding the torpedo craft lti in homing on a source of sound or noise.

For motive force, a centrifugal type bladed impeller 22 is positioned within the nose 16 and it projects forwardly therefrom a small amount. As shown in FIG. 4, this impeller 22 is arranged to be driven by a motor 24 which may be one of several types such as compressed fluid, alcohol fueled or electric.

A passage 26 is provided in the forward or leading edge portion of each wing 14, and these passages 26 each terminate at a rearwardly directed orifice 28 at the trailing edge of the tip of the wings 14.

Sea water activatable batteries 30 are mounted to the rear of the passages 26 in each wing 14. These batteries 30 have inlet apertures 32 and outlet passages 34 which communicate, respectively, With the passages 26, and to the outside along the trailing edge of each wing 14.

When the torpedo craft 10 is immersed in the sea and ice the motor 24 is turned on, the rotating impeller 22 forces sea water inwardly as shown by the arrows in FIG. 4, through the passages 26 in each wing 14 and out in the form of jets at the orifices 28. Consequently, the wings 14 rotate with the body 12 and the torpedo craft is propelled forwardly both from the jet action and the propeller screw action generated by the action of the wings 14 on the water.

A fan-shaped acoustic directional pattern beam is formed by suitably spacing the sound sensitive hydrophones of barium titanate plates along the leading edges of the wings 14-. As the body 12 rotates, the sensitive area of this beam will describe a cone in the volume of the water immediately forward of the torpedo craft.

By suitably amplifying and detecting signals picked up within this beam and applying them to the control surfaces 20 through electric solenoids 38, the torpedo craft thus can be guided to home on any source of sound within the cone described by the scanning action and within the sensitive range of the acoustic detecting hydrophones 36.

Electric power is furnished by the sea water batteries 30 for the operation of the acoustic detectors and amplifiers as Well as the electric solenoids 38 controlling the control surfaces 20. If, in addition, the motor 24 is connected to these batteries 30, the torpedo craft 18 becomes operational on immersion as soon as the sea water penetrates to the batteries 30.

It should be noted that under the urging of the impeller 22, a continual flushing of sea water through the inlet passages 32 and outlet passages 34 promotes a very thorough and continued activation of the batteries 30 for high efficiency and long heavy duty. Further, the waste water emerging from the outlet passages 34 is under pressure and aids in propelling the torpedo craft 10 in the direction of its travel.

A suitable explosive charge, or warhead with an igniting element can be provided in the torpedo craft It for destruction of a target if desirable. Suitable electrical connections from the amplifier-detector of the rotating body 12 to the solenoids 38 in the cone 18 can be made by direct wires between the body 12 and cone 13 since the total rotation necessary to preset the relation of the control surface 26 to the detector beam previously mentioned need not be greater than After pre-setting, the elements 18 and 12 are locked together, leaving the control surfaces 20 free to oscillate in response to signals from electric solenoids 33 to thereby eifect guidance of the torpedo craft.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. A craft, comprising, a body with a tail cone having a control surface movably mounted thereon for steering said craft, said body being rotatably adjustable in position with respect to the axis of rotation of said tail cone and thereafter lockable together therewith to prevent further relative rotation between said body and said tail cone, with said control surface remaining free to effect guidance of said craft, a fluid impeller positioned in the nose of said body and arranged to receive a fluid, diametrically and oppositely pitched wings mounted on said body, said wings having rearwardly directed orifices at the tips thereof with passages communicating between said fluid impeller and said orifices, a motive power source to drive said fluid impeller, and means in each said wing for sensing a source, and means for controlling said control surface of said tail cone as defined by the output of a said sensing means so as to home said craft on said source.

2. A craft as recited in claim 1, wherein said sensing means comprise an array of hydrophones mounted along the leading edge of each said wing.

3. A craft as recited in claim 1, wherein said control means includes an amplifier-detector system for detecting the output of said sensing means, and solenoids coupled to said amplifier-detector system and said control surface for controlling said control surface based on the amplifieddetected output of said amplifier-detector system so as to home said craft on said source.

4. A craft as recited in claim 3, wherein said amplifierdetector system includes a self-generating source of power having a fluid actuated battery, and means for bypassing fluid from said wing passages to said fluid actuated battery.

5. A craft as recited in claim 1, wherein said motive power source is an electrical motor, and a self-generating source of power for said electrical motor including a fluid actuated battery, with said fluid being seawater through which said craft travels, and means for traversing said fluid actuated battery with bypassed seawater from said wing passages.

6. A craft, comprising, a body with a tail cone having at least one control surface movably mounted thereon, said body being adjustable in position with respect to the axis of rotation of said tail cone and thereafter lockable together therewith to prevent further relative rotation between said body and said tail cone, with said control for sensing a source, and means for controlling said control surface of said tail cone as defined by the output of said sensing means so as to home said craft on said source.

8. A craft as recited in claim 7, and additionally explosive means in said craft, and means for igniting said explosive means in the immediate vicinity of said sensed source.

9. A craft as recited in claim 6, wherein said control means includes an amplifier-detector system for detecting the output of said sensing means and having a self-generating source of power including a fluid actuated battery, and means for bypassing fluid from said wing passage to said fluid actuated battery.

it A craft as recited in claim 6, wherein said motive power source is an electrical motor, and a self-generating source of power for said electrical motor including a fluid actuated battery, with said fluid being seawater through which said craft travels, and means for traversing said fluid actuated battery with bypassed seawater from said wing passage.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 263,407 8/82 Hicks 11420 1,302,162 4/19 Hesse 114-20 2,021,481 11/35 Dornier 170-1354 2,409,632 10/46 King 11421.1 2,428,191 9/47 Alterio 11420 2,644,397 7/53 Katz ll42l.l 2,651,376 9/53 Stanitz 170135.4 2,654,334 10/53 Wheeler 11423 7 FOREIGN PATENTS 148,328 9/31 Switzerland.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

CHESTER L. JUSTUS, SAMUEL FEINBERG,

Examiners. 

1. A CRAFT, COMPRISING, A BODY WITH A TAIL CONE HAVING A CONTROL SURFACE MOVABLY MOUNTED THEREON FOR STEERING SAID CRAFT, SAID BODY BEING ROTATABLY ADJUSTABLE IN POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID TAIL CONE AND THEREAFTER LOCKABLE TOGETHER THEREWITH TO PREVENT FURTHER RELATIVE ROTATION BETWEEN SAID BODY AND SAID TAIL CONE, WITH SAID CONTROL SURFACE REMAINING FREE TO EFFECT GUIDANCE OF SAID CRAFT, A FLUID IMPELLER POSITIONED IN THE NOSE OF SAID BODY AND ARRANGED TO RECEIVE A FLUID, DIAMETRICALLY AND OPPOSITELY PITCHED WINGS MOUNTED ON SAID BODY, SAID WINGS HAVING REARWARDLY DIRECTED ORIFICES AT THE TIPS THEREOF WITH PASSAGES COMMUNICATING BETWEEN SAID FUEL IMPELLER AND SAID ORIFICES, A MOTIVE POWER SOURCE TO DRIVE SAID FLUID IMPELLER, AND MEANS IN EACH SAID WING FOR SENCING A SOURCE, AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID CONTROL SURFACE OF SAID TAIL CONE AS DEFINED BY THE OUTPUT OF SAID SENSING MEANS SO AS TO HOME SAID CRAFT ON SAID SOURCE. 